Gov. Jerry Brown can stop the nonsense taking place at the California Coastal Commission by announcing his support for Executive Director Charles Lester.

The commission announced last week that it will meet Feb. 10-12 to debate whether to fire Lester. It’s a power grab to undermine crucial protections for one of California’s most precious jewels, the 1,000-mile coastline stretching from Eureka to San Diego.

Commissioners should be praising Lester for furthering the legacy of the legendary Peter Douglas, who helped write the legislation that created the commission and then served as its executive director until retiring in 2011. Douglas, who died in 2012, hand-picked Lester as his successor, charging him with fulfilling Douglas’ oft-repeated quote, “The coast is never saved. It’s always being saved.”

The coup reportedly is being orchestrated in part by the governor’s four appointees to the commission, who are criticizing Lester’s management style and are said to favor a friendlier attitude toward developers. Brown can end this nonsense by telling his appointees to stop it.

In passing the strong California Coastal Conservation Initiative, voters made it clear in 1972 that they wanted California’s beaches to remain open to everyone. It was Brown who signed the California Coastal Act as governor in 1976, providing the law governing the decisions of the Coastal Commission.

If there’s a question whether the people of California still feel the same way, the governor should ask them. We’re pretty sure they haven’t changed their minds.

The law carefully struck a balance between protecting the state’s resources and allowing development projects that were respectful of the environment. Lester has embraced that philosophy.

It’s not as if Lester has blocked development. The commission under his watch approved two projects in the past two years that are clearly favorable to developers more than environmentalists. In 2014, the commission voted 10-2 to allow the building of the Monterey Bay Shores resort in Sand City on 40 acres of sand dunes south of Fort Ord Dunes State Park. Last month the commission voted unanimously, over the objection of state Sen. Fran Pavley, to let U2 guitarist The Edge build five hilltop homes in Malibu, reversing a 2011 decision to reject the proposal.

In fact the commission has approved the vast majority of the permit applications it has considered. The commission’s work is often to seek changes that make projects more environmentally sound.

Firing Lester would mean inviting developers to propose more intense development plans and signaling the likelihood of more favorable action at the cost of a natural and open coast. It is a terrible idea, and the governor should be out in front saying so.